Little Told Tales
by not.my.cup.of.noodles
Summary: In the end, it was the god that saved the world. In the end, it's the people who made the world worth saving. A series trying to examine the people who made a tale worth telling, and tell the stories they might have had.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: This is a fanfiction I have made purely because so many people believe Okami Amaterasu can be only paired up with three individuals, Although I happen to like one of those pairings, I also like odd pairings that could, perhaps, work. So, if you dislike this idea, I suggest that you don't read this particular fan fiction. This story will be one shots of various people with Okami. I will also note that **_THERE WILL BE YURI/GIRLxGIRL and some hints of YAOI/BOYxBOY._** If you do not like that, I, once again, suggest you don't read this. Also, this is my very first fan fiction, so any mistakes made in this are my fault. The rating, T, might be high, but I'm not exactly sur eabout the rating, and I think higher is much better than lower. Sorry for the long explanation, and now on to the story!

Pairing: Amaterasu x Sakuya

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She remembered a wolf; a wolf that shined so white that the shadows disappeared when she just walked past them, leaving blossoms on the ground. She remembered asking the wolf to play, and the answer was always yes, yes, and the wolf chased her tail, and she laughed, laughed, until everything was forgotten. She remembered the ones who planted her into the ground, who gave her water and prayers until she became a sprite that the people looked to for protection. But she was young, a child, that she couldn't do her duties, so the wolf promised to them for her. She never heard the wolf speak, or make any sound that be translated into words, but she could hear her inside her head, not words or pictures, but emotions and ideas that swirled into something understandable. The wolf was always there to help her, even when the villagers threw things at her to make her go, even when the snake roared for a meal to eat. She didn't know if she liked or disliked when the wolf came on those days, because her mind was a torrent of sorrow, sorrow, and she only wagged her tail half-heartedly instead of the rambunctious blur she always played with. Finally, the wolf came to her, and told her what she was. She was the sun. And one day she would drive out the eight headed snake for good. She told her to always hope, to always to look to the dawn and to always protect her people with the best of her ability. And the sun looked at her for longer than normal, and left without even playing with her.

When the sun slowly sunk, and the night was creaking over to cover the sky, a gate appeared on her hill, and it swung open to show a red eyed wolf, a bug, and her shining wolf. Only this wolf looked less bright, less cheery, and had less glory than Amaterasu could ever sink down to. While her wolf glowed with life, this wolf just had a faint shimmer of power around her. So it couldn't be her; looks weren't everything. But… there was something that said that she was the same god. And because of that she asked her to play.

The wolf left, after telling her she didn't have time to, and the red eyed one just left without a word. The sprite stayed there, wondering why this wolf that was like the sun and not like the sun, thoughts were so thin, so vague. She decided that the wolf was just a servant of the great canine, and was there to help her master to victory. The blue wolf was there to give supplies, and the bug was just hitching a ride. After all, there was no way that this weak wolf could ever be the sun. Otherwise, how would the sun be able to shine through the dark?

The wind started to blow, a subtle stream then blasted forward in a hurricane-like rush. The sprite huddled down, to shelter against the rasping gusts, and looked towards Kimiki to see the eight heads choosing their prey. She saw the arrow hit the house of the sake brewer, and felt the groan of the caged people echo the hills. She felt a blaze awaken, in the need, the desire to give it all to save them. To make the trees bloom and let their petals wash away the disease. But she couldn't do anything, anything but weep, for she was far too young. The child put her head down and cried to sleep, instead of trying to bear the agony of the town and their sacrifice.

She awoke when she felt warmth on her skin. She looked up to see the red god marks around gentle black eyes. She jumped up for joy, for her sun had returned! But the god quickly ran through the gate and left out of sight, before she could greet her. She stood there, not understanding what was going around her. For the sun had abandoned her child.

She heard quiet steps slowly climbing up, and she turned to see the supply wolf clawing back to the gate. He seemed out of it, possessed by his own anger, and slashed through the air as if were the thing that had brought him down. A being of crushed hope, unable to see, he was looking for others to drag into despair. He looked at her and growled, eyes sparkling in the chance of a release of pain and hatred. She hid behind her power source, a sprout. He left going back the same way he came back he came in.

Yet again the gate opened, and yet again the child looked to see who came. She nearly fainted at what she saw. The great god, the bringer of light, the very essence of purity, wobbled out. Every part of her was tattered and covered with blood, and the wolf was panting, moaning under her breath, and her companion shook his head, counting the minutes past. He knew the futility of wishing against of what was destined to happen. There was no chance of life, with cuts as deep as to scratch the bone, and when each breath took her vitality to the skies above. It was the last hours of a god.

The dying warrior twisted her head towards her, and made a single nod, before screwing up her face in pain, and ran out, leaving paw prints outlined by red and a ribbon of plants, withering from the lack of water and hope. The guardian watched her every step, as painful each was, and looked to the heavens and prayed to all spirits in the living world to give strength to this one small nation, one who seemed cursed beyond belief, to give light it when the world would have no sun anymore.

Eight screams pierced the skies, and a triumphant howl that brought a golden crescent out to burn the flesh of the dark, to kill the pestilence, and destroy Yamata no Orochi. Brightness, a star, seemed to shine, as the caverns of the snake collapsed, only able to stand with the false god. A silent wave marked the end of horror. The village of Kamiki seemed to look up to there as one, to watch the fall of their overlord. The region was silent for a single moment before everyone burst into cheering, for freedom has come, after giving the lives of ninety nine girls. And each one bowed their heads and prayed to the gods, thanking them for saving them all.

The warrior came, came with the barely live body of the hated wolf of Orochi. He told the village how she saved his life, bringing the moon, hope, out when he couldn't stand anymore. She had fought with the demon when he was cut to pieces, and when the cave started to collapse, she saved his life. He carefully put the wolf down on the ground, and proclaimed her hero in front of them all. But, as all watched, she last out one pant, before closing her eyes, an ember blown out into another life, gone to the heavens. And the villagers wept for having prejudged so badly. But the most terrible noise was the one on the cliff, coming from the throat of the protector. The town worshipped her, the foreigners cared for her, but it was only the sun who gave her the light she needed to live. Without the holy wolf, the sprite was only half there.

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Years have passed from the event. They have made a statue of the white wolf that left feelings of bitter-sweetness in the guardian, for it showed her as well humans could do, but no one could replicate the feeling of serenity and hope she had. It was like seeing a delicate spout in the palm in your hand, knowing that that although it may not look like it now, it could grow into a tree that can live for hundreds of years and help give to others. She smiled when she thought of this, for in many ways the description fit her. She had grown to protect almost all of Nippon, and grew more serious from the kind child she was before. Too much had happened for her to ever revert back to that stage, and now it was lost, gone to throats of Orochi, his very last victim. But not all was growing up and hiding emotions with a serene face that never dropped. She met a pervert whose name was Ishaku. Actually, it wasn't an introduction, per say, but rather a visit from the current Celestial Envoy, who she first met years ago. She didn't really pay attention to him, but she always thought it was funny when her wolf swallowed him. He insisted that he had to make a portrait of her. She somehow doubted it was because she was an important part of keeping Nippon safe, but rather he would jump at the chance at a (barely) willing model who he thought was pretty. After wandering around, he finally left for his home in the north, where he claimed beings as small as he was had made a village that was called Ponc'ton. He had left her a small drawing of Amaterasu, which she kept in the highest branches of her tree. It healed some of the wounds from that very last day of the true white wolf.

A prophet came, with a ridiculous looking hat covering his hair. He informed her that he was the one guarding the Moon Cave from demons, for the snake was not dead yet, but only trapped inside a seal. When she questioned his merits to such a task, he replied, in an offended voice, that he was there when the Celestial plains fell to forces of darkness, that he had fought Orochi before, and that he prophesized the end of him. When she demanded to know why, why, he couldn't tell the costs it would take to bring him down, he glanced to the side, as if he suffered from some guilt from not being able to. But his answer was what really ticked her off.

"While you seem quite distressed about the entire ordeal, I'm sure you would have realized that she would have given her life without a second thought. You may have not known her as well as me, but I've known ma cherie over five hundred years…."

She nearly strangled him with the lower branches of the Konohana, and wished for a moment that she could kick his pompous ass out of Kimiki forever. When he felt the effects of her quite obvious rage, he merely smiled, and teleported out to somewhere. The sprite was raging, her anger was making the plants around her squirm and the wildlife fled for their lives, but if you looked just at her, you would have seen her crying. For no one knew Mother Amaterasu better than she did, with her always there to help her, and she knew she would sacrifice anything of hers to keep her people safe. The god was practically the only person to care for her as a real person, and she knew the deep loyalty only a wolf could feel to its pack that lied within Amaterasu. But she still cried because she wished she could have died instead.

Eight screams rend the sky, as darkness took the land. The all-consuming force struck out in seconds, petrifying all in its path to make the world dark with fear, and taking more of the little power the gods still had. Through this all, Sakuya watched with a calm demeanor. She took one last look at the black energy before turning to face the statue of her wolf, the sun goddess, Amaterasu, and summoning her shield with a drawn circle. It headed straight towards the sculpture, like iron attracted to a magnet, before it came the wolf's back, giving back life to the ookami who deserved it most. The sun blazed behind the god, lighting up warmth in Sakuya's heart. For once again she was whole, her nobility matched with dancing ribbons of golden happiness. Agony and despair vanished like a plate of cookies given to hungry children, and fled for the hills to hide. And she forgave the sun for everything, for abandoning her when she was delicate child. She had to, of course, for it would be impossible for her not to. After all, wasn't it obvious that as the plants need the sun, Konohana's wood sprite needed the sun goddess to live fully?


	2. Chapter 2

I'm sorry that it took so long to get this out. I had problems thinking of this. I also do realize that this story changes styles halfway through. Apparently, I can't write humor. Despite that, I hope you like it!

Pairing: Ammy x Ishaku

For the first time since darkness landed on Nippon, the evil fell to the light of the sun, and the haze that smothered the land for years, burned in the light of health. In the dawn of this beautiful day, the Kamiki village decided to throw an impromptu festival just to celebrate the temporary victory of the sun, and to pray to the gods to give them strength to prosper, and to finally be able to lift Orochi's curse from the earth. Everyone was celebrating, laughter and the smell of flowers filled the air. Normally, one could see a brilliant wolf watching from the hills with a smile on her face, and a yellow dot on her head hopping up and down, muttering about wasted time. However, surprisingly, she wasn't there. Neither was there a miniature warrior painting a picture of the scene. They were nearby though…

"Just hold that pose for a few more seconds… and… aannd…aaaannnndd…I SCREWED UP THE POSISTION," screeched a high pitched voice. A loud thump accompanied the whine, rather like the final crash of a drum after a loud note from a violin after a perfect performance executed with great skill and amazing concentration, except this was the Celestial Envoy who apparently needed practice, and Ammy, who was border-line eating Ishaku, and dying of boredom. Unfortunately, because of a canine's sensitive hearing, she was much closer to eating him than dropping dead. Also unfortunate for Ishaku, the world needed the sun god desperately right now, and would prefer her to have a stomach ache than dying, increasing the artist's chance of being digested by double, making the percentage about eighty percent. Which are pretty bad odds. Ouch. You have to wonder if fate is against the sprite.

It didn't help that he was making Amaterasu do ridiculous positions that would send a villager from Kamiki to rolling on the ground from laughter. It would be rather hard not to laugh watching the terrifying Shiranui following a bug's orders to stand up on her back legs and look happy. However, he would end up rolling down on the ground in laughter, down the hills that seems to be everywhere, down a cliff and into most likely into a devil's gate, where he would be chopped to bits because the true protector of the people can't do her job, because she was stuck in what could be called a medieval photo shoot, which he was laughing at. Karma will _always_ get you, no matter what. In Ishaku's case, it would when Ammy came back looking like a stupid looking mutt that's statue is based on the sketches on that very day, and will be taunted at for a great deal for that for a great deal of time.

Back to the sun god seriously considering murder and the glowing artist who was completely oblivious, the painter and the wolf was quite obviously upset. The god was upset because it was the perfect day to sit down, relax and enjoy one of the few festivals of Kamiki. Ishaku was pissed because he couldn't seem to paint. He was pouring over his paintings, cursing every time he flipped the page to a new one. He chose this day because it wasn't very often you get lighting this good, and he needed to finally paint a picture that would truly represent the gods. It was about time that the people saw the true power of the gods, and how their prayers were helping them every single day. Every day, Okami lost power from the lack of faith, for as she hadn't yet destroyed the evil that plagued the day, and because the lack of prayer, the vicious circle kept going on and on. This picture was needed, and he was the one to do it. After all this time he felt confident that he could do with ease, and make art that sang of the heavens, and blazed with a purity that left a imprint on the heart that would stay forever. But he just couldn't. Nothing, nothing he tried did anything. Even imagining her, being her, caring for all of Nippon, destroying monsters that threatened justice, and the occasional goofing off, didn't help. He couldn't do it, because... he felt it. The sun god was slowly losing response to the world, slowly being drawn back into the past that left her as the only savior of the race of mortals, the god whose job was to take care of everything, and yet needed the companionship of a god who was not there. Every day she would just stare of in the distance and drift off to the far corners of memory, looking lost. It was pitiful, sad beyond belief, especially, when she seemed to clear from her paralysis, and whined and yelped while staring at the sky, wishing, just hoping that everything would come back. Ishaku never knew what to do, and hated himself for claiming to help the gods, but she was just there crying out from pain that she couldn't go over, and he did nothing, for he knew nothing. Because of his insecurity, his drawings could never bloom, only flowers nipped in the bud.

A growl from the wolf woke up Ishaku. She had gotten tired of holding the same position for the picture, and just about to squish the poncle to his death.

"Whoa, I forgot about you Ammy! Sorry about that," Ishaku looked back down at his drawings, and hesitated, then asked her, "Are you ever lonely, Ammy? Do you miss... home?"

She stopped, frozen. Chaos raced through her eyes, unable to stop, unable to leave, and she fell to her side with a soft whine.

"Ammy!"

She twisted her head over to his voice, still lost in the maze of tragedy, reacting only on impulse, not on sense or reason, unable to see the brilliance of the sun, the calm of happiness, the purity of this day out of so many of cruelty. A storm started to blow over to the valley.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know, but you seem like you can't get out of this mood of yours. I'm scared for you... Ammy, what's wrong?"

Groaning, she stretched out her front paws, and extended them to full length, waving them in the air. She stopped after a while, curling up the best she could as if to protect herself.

"You were human once...? And you had to turn back to a wolf to protect yourself? Because that's your true form, your most powerful form?"

She nodded wearily, eyes still clouded from reliving the massacre of the Celestial Plains.

"But- I can help you! I'll show you!" He grabbed a piece of paper, and his paintbrush, and let his brush flow with the sun to show her true might. It was _needed ._A head, torso, arms, legs, weapon, expression, a woman of beauty standing still, sword held down, with a shield floating from a hand out to the side, an alert expression on her face, but with a gentle smile on face, to give her joy, laughter, happiness, while flowers grew at her bare feet, blooming with the brightest of colors. Gods, with eyes of warriors but mouths of peace, lined up behind her, ready to follow, ready to show Amaterasu that they would _fight_. It was pure, it was emotion, and it was the gods as they stood centuries before, their power shining through to give hope, give courage, and give strength to the mortals that they vowed to save at all cost. It was the medicine of the soul.

"Ammy, Ammy, look at it, just look!"

And for the sprite that tried his hardest to give to the gods in anyway, she lifted herself to the drawing, staggering with depression, and dragged her body over to the painting, and gave it a look.

"See Ammy, I'll always help you, I'm always there, just let go of your pain, let go, be free, enjoy this sunny day, let the sun burn, Amaterasu, let it blaze!"

Her hollow eyes looked at the paper, and slowly was replaced fire, the smoldering gaze that so many people learned to use, learned to look in and depend on, and to love. A smile grew on her face, and radiated throughout the wolf, white rays bursting out, scorching the air. A god stood there, with an expression of happy preservation, and ran around the hollow, stopping to grab the glowing artist.

"Ammy, go without worry!"

****

And so the day of sun slowly fell to the night, and darkness glided over the sky. But there was still no haze, and there were no monsters that came out form hiding to attack. The atmosphere was crackling with excitement as the villagers cheered as they felt the hope stay rooted in place. And a white wolf stood watching over it all, with a small warrior on her back, and as her howls echoed through the valley, a woman's laughter seemed to go with it, rushing through to savory the air. And as the wolf howled, and the artist watched, they created a companionship impossible to break.


	3. Chapter 3

I'm sorry this took so long to get out. I wrote this a few months ago but haven't put it on my computer. Once again, sorry. Also I forgot to mention, I don't any of this aside from the order of the words. Please give yor thanks to Capcom for the game.

Pairing: SamicklexAmmy

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Guarding a door was easy. Even if it contained the elder of the Oina tribe, there were few threats to protect him from. Dealing with the old man inside was the much more painful part, but he was quite sure that he could survive his hour rants and the attempts to whip the hide off him. All of this mattered little, then. The safety of the elder was guaranteed. The safety of the tribe? Something harder to fathom in times like these, and the one subject that he dreaded to think about.

Oki. The demon masked man who swore that he would save them all. A promise made when they were all children. Oki had held his head proudly, and announced to everyone there that he would do everything in his power to protect the Oina, keeping his promise on the sword Kutone. All the pups were in awe of him then. The awe was changed to longstanding respect when it was proved he was the best fighter among them all. Oki took the sword faster than most people could even realize which edge was the sharp one. There was absolutely no doubt that he was a born warrior. But all creatures that lived underneath the sun had some fault. Whether it is greed or envy or some other evil inside, all species were flawed in some way. Oki, no matter how great he was, or perhaps because of his proficiency, had the worst sin. The deadly crime of pride rested below, eating away at what he let it touch.

Very few had the ego to even touch Kutone. Only one person, Oki, had enough of one to grab the sword from its resting place and claim it as his own. And no matter the ego of the owner, Oki was the only one known that could steal the legend of his tribe and still be respected by the wolves he left behind. The greatest supporters of him were the grown pups that he led long ago. Oki was the head of the tribe. For no one could beat the support that the youngest generation gave him. He was just a pale replacement…

The guardian of the door shook his head. This was no time to think about that! He acknowledged the fact that he was willing to bet his life on Oki. He was even willing to help him on whatever his hare brained scheme was! But those were not thoughts to have while on duty. He should be focused, prepared... He paced around, dragging his feet around in the snow. On his fifth loop he spotted something out of the corner. But it was too hard to tell; a blur of movement, but the color of the blur was as white as the snow surrounding him. But a loud thump answered his question of what it was as a pure white wolf landed in the snow in front of the gate.

There was never an animal as unnaturally white as the creature in front of him. The total absence of color made it blend into the background as no wolf, even the ones there, could ever even dream of. In other words, this wolf was no member of the Oina tribe. Neither was it a native that they were familiar with. No normal wolf would walk up to the elder's hut with such nonchalance, especially with the heavy blizzards that ripped through constantly now. No pacifist would walk in here unannounced. This was true danger!

With a half turn towards the wolf, Samickle somersaulted trough the air, growing in size as he let out a roar, to land in on the ground with blue wolf paws. He was the blockade to the door, impenetrable, with anger in his eyes for the one who threatened his tribe's safety. The wolf stared meekly at him, before attempting a small step forward. Lunging forward, Samickle made a grab at the intruder's neck. Dodging rapidly, the wolf collected ink on her tail before letting her tail swing in a full circle around the attacker. As the ink dissipated in the air, a feel of energy started to infect the area, with the blue canine being the one most affected.

Magic! Demon magic! The only answer for all that has happened now!The peace, the gratitude, that he felt to the wolf now; it was unnatural to feel these things to a wolf that he just met! No wolf can scrounge up that much empathy to a loner. It was against… His paws, his teeth. Both were reverting back to human, dullness replacing their fighting strength. Damn it! The happiness was turning him back! Insane, impossible, this can't happen. Growling from angry, he forced his body to revert back to animal. A demon; a demon of paper and ink judging by the color. She must be eliminated! But, he didn't notice the smell of paper near the wolf, so it couldn't be of paper. The smell around her was so strange; he recognized the smell, but he couldn't name it. It was an old scent, not one that has happened recently. He breathed in again; wolf was the predominate odor, ink being the next. But he couldn't identify the other…

The wolf jumped towards the house, trying to keep her body high off the ground. Samickle reared up on his rear legs, and bit on her hind leg. Twisting his head around, he threw his opponent across the snow, leaving pink smears as the wolf skidded away. After shaking its head, the wolf slowly picked itself off the ground. Walking up to the fence, it sat there wagging its tail, keeping its muscles relaxed. The injured leg barely had any pressure on it, keeping it from feeling too much pain. Samickle growled continuously, not trusting its act because the animal was aware of its injury. Any animal that had a leg injury would have normally left, figuring that it was useless to get injured anymore. Some would have submitted to him to prevent rage. And a few would have thrown themselves in the battle, desperate for blood. Red tipped blue lightning, cutting razor ice… Oki. This could not be good for his health. He shouldn't remember his best friend at every turn; distract himself by pondering his fate. He was a traitor. Nothing else can describe him more accurately. The only use for him was practice tracking so he could retrieve Kutone and bring him back to justice. His respect for him is completely unnecessary.

The chief was down for all intents, keeping his head down towards the ground as he muttered lies to himself. Taking the opportunity, a time-slowing mist was cast around the area so that the now sneaky, past innocent, interloper could slink through the other's defenses. Unfortunately, the pain in its leg was enough to make it slow down significantly, letting Samickle see movement on the other side. The injured tried to sprint the rest of the way, but it was stopped by Samickle, ripping gashes into its neck. Pitiably yelping, the white wolf retreated away from the house, walking stiffly as the injuries let out another spasm of pain. But it took only a few moments of rest, before the wolf threw itself towards the hut. And Samickle stopped it with no mercy shown. Time and time again, the wolf was thrown into the snow, marking the land as a battle ground. The leader couldn't care about the miserable scoundrel who, in most views, was willingly committing suicide by attempting to beat him with crippling injuries. But, even a demon could inspire respect with its efforts. Considering the others that he knew that he knew would do that, (stop thinking about that!), this was a creature of determination. Hewn from the same roots of all heroes, twisted towards a darker path, it was still admirable. It would be a shame to kill it. But there was no other choice.

The intruder was panting, hoarse moans of agony coming out, as blood stained the fine white fur, revealing the wolf to area as its camouflage was marked with red. Lying on the ground, it wouldn't be able to reach its goal in that condition. Yet, it still rose up and stood, legs shaking from the weight, and looked straight at Samickle, and took step by step forward.

Her smell was blood, wolf, ink, and…. Spring. That's what that oddness was. Why, in all the spirits of the earth, would a demon smell like spring? It's against their very nature as harbingers of destruction. They were miscreants, idiots, thieves, and all other forms of stupid evil. Even if an imp thought of disguising his scent, there was little possibility for it to choose flowers as a disguise. Female, that also what she had a scent of. Even an intelligent demon wouldn't think of a disguise that strong. Could she just be a wolf? But why did she continue on with her death march? Was there something else in the world other than demons and humans? But why did they abandon us to live with monsters?

A thud against the snow brought Samickle's attention back to the injured wolf, which had just fallen back on the ground, legs giving out on an icy part. But like all the other times, she picked herself off the ground and doggedly headed towards her goal. The pride in her eyes, it wasn't directed to herself. She was proud of something else, him. Could she tell that he was thinking of her?

The gods left the world to the heavens, leaving the miseries for the mortals to deal with. For an eternity humans prayed for salvation, but the call was never answered. Only when Orochi fell to Nagi that any thoughts of divinity were rekindled, with masses connecting together for one communal prayer to the sun to save all of them finally. But as the years past, they had given up hope again. When Orochi was brought back, there was no hope of divine intervention, but the twining feel of doom as the faded to black. The people had thought that the gods were selfish to ignore their charges for so long. And so the people turned their backs on legend.

But, wasn't Oki doing the exact same thing? He had left on a journey that many disapproved, to the point where many had exiled him from their thoughts. Oki was foolish, same with so many other people. Yet, they would follow his plan because it was their only hope. But he can't do anything without the help of the tribe joining together. They were the ones selfish for not being able to see past what they thought was important. Perhaps, if they talked to everyone and let a group decision lead the tribe, they could see past one wolf and another wolf. The gods needed something to support them. They haven't done that for a while, but they could try before it was too late for everyone.


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry for the delay. This is FusexAmmy for any that need to know. I'm sorry about Issun's characterization. I tried to make as close as I could, but he comes out sounding like an ass. This is also rather short. Sorry once again.

...Please review?

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Four thuds came on to the floor before… BAM! A white goddess slammed into her attacker, tipping it over. Just as quickly as she came, she left, leaving empty air to the other dog as he aimed for her ear. Backing up, Ammy tossed out her reflector, keeping the two away. She, however, didn't notice the rather unpleasant surprise beneath. _Something_ exploded, taking a fair bit out of the wolf and blasting Ammy off to the far corner of the room. Landing haphazardly, she threw out some beads to cover for her fall. It was then that two dogs howled, glowing from the orb around their collars, and began slashing their way to Ammy. Unfortunately for them, the goddess had the good sense to put a cherry bomb there, and move away from them. The force of the explosion knocked out the two dogs, and others quickly moved their bodies to the sides of the room. Meanwhile, the third dog finally decided to do something. Digging holes all around the arena; it was in one of them that he met his end to a fully charged glaive strike on the head given by the wolf that snuck up behind him. (Note: Because a goddess did this, in no way is sneaking up behind and hitting people with swords a dishonest fighting technique. It just means that you have to be sure that they got them.)

The victor sat down, looked around at the devastated battlefield, and put her head down because the dogs still were horrifying fighters. Issun was a bit more vocal with his views.

"Yeah, I know Ammy here is a goddess and all, but that was a sorry mess. Your dogs aren't good for anything but scratching fleas. Your force couldn't hold a bunny down," Issun was better known for beautiful paintings than a sense of tact, "I used to think that the dogs could help against the Crimson Knight but now I can see that he could snort at them and they would run in the opposite direction. Geeze, lady, how do you even keep this town safe?"

To the luck of Issun, the princess was more preoccupied checking to make sure that the dogs were alright rather than listening to him. In all other cases, the situation would be much the same. Most women learned to ignore Issun after the first three sentences he says. It was more a thing of keeping the peace than actual boredom.

Fuse did manage to get the last sentence of Issun. Straightening her back, she turned to him and replied, "The town is protected as the windmills keep spinning with divine wind. So long they keep spinning, we will be safe. I'm certain that Ammy has heard this explanation before."

Issun was flustered then. Gathering his wit, he shot back with, "You don't have a backup plan? Ammy is amazing but she can't be here all the time!"

Fuse bowed her head towards the wolf, "I realize that it would be impossible for her to stay in the village. However, Amaterasu has come when we needed her the most. I trust in her, and tank her for all her kind help," Lifting her head a bit, she smiled, "I also wish that the goddess grant this request of mine: Can I pet you?"

Ammy nodded her head and barked, happy at another human giving her attention. The princess laughed, settled next to the wolf and started to scratch her head.

"Hey, we were having a discussion here! You can't just stop it! Don't you care about safety here?" Bouncing up and down at a rapid pace, his voice gained the annoying quality of rising and lowering as he came closer then moved away. "A pretty girl like you needs to keep herself and her charges safe!"

"Issun, do you not trust Amaterasu to protect you from any demons?" Fuse's hand was carefully tracing the divine mark on top of Ammy's forehead.

"But I have a swo-"

"And I have a pack of dogs" Her hand settled in the center of Ammy's circle."Our first defense is ourselves. It must be. A race cannot continue its path upward without being able to depend on itself. But the second is always the gods. For there are times where no human could save themselves, and fall to the demons of self. And with trust in the gods, they will rise again." Fuse's eyes closed, "I trust Ammy with my life no matter the circumstances. For she will be the one that raises me up again."


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry for the wait! I was planning on some other ones, but never had the for the ones who liked the first idea better, but I'm changing this into a collection of stories about Okami in general, and plan to keep it that way. Hopefully, I'll update more.

Characters: Ninetails, Amaterasu (as foil?)

This hasn't been edited. Watch out for mistakes.

review, maybe...?

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It could have been a battle that lasted for a thousand years, she mused.

The fox laid in her illusions of paradise, her conscience lying somewhere between dream and reality, waiting for the god to come and challenge her. For she knows that she will come, despite all the puzzles and challenges that the fox had thrown at her. Nothing could stop the god, because that is what a god is, a being meant to challenge the impossible. But she sensed a change in each of them.

_The whispers started again, telling her of thoughts she no longer wished to hear. When she tried to stop them, they only grew louder._

She had become one of the most powerful demons in existence, a force beyond the control of humanity. Barely anyone even knew who the god was. She could almost laugh at the irony that she was considered a holier being than the stray mutt from heaven, all because she had taken the body of a famous nun. The word of a demon more reliable than a being who protected humans. Even without her powers, she could make the god a smear in the ground by a simple command. In power, she towered over all.

_She knew the cycle. It was the gods' and demons' greatest irony, for it was when the demons rose to their greatest power, that the gods became the terrifying power told in legend. As evil started to take over their world, humans prayed to gods, who grew stronger from their belief. But as soon as the demons were destroyed, gone back to nightmares of a different age, the humans stopped their prayer, forgetting the ones who once were their greatest allies. It was like a great chain, demons and gods grasped together, dragging each other to the top, only to fall together into oblivion. This simile even worked here._

It was wonderful, but even more so, it was clever, the way she had taken over. Before the god even drew breath in her new body, the fox had the trust of all in the city. Before she had even taken a step, the people already began to turn away from the queen, and asked her to solve all their problems. And when the god could finally crawl her way to Sei-An, the god trusted her too, enough even to give back to her Fox Rods.

_The fox knew that as soon as she had got her Fox Rods back, the god would have gained an equal amount of power, some way, somehow, because that's how this game worked. Nothing was at top for long. It was why the fox tried to grow in cunning not power, for this wasn't a power that the gods could gain by belief. Even in that she now failed._

The god saw her trick eventually, came rushing back with the queen's death sharpening her will to fight. The demon loved it, loved that the mutt tried so hard to set right what wrongs the fox had done. It was pointless, and the challenges, and the pain, because she would come to her and challenge her for her domain. The fox will kill her. For in the end, a weakling who tries, tries and tries again doesn't triumph in the end, no matter the past. Yes, she was something once, the demon admitted. A fool with power, and little else. You couldn't even say that now.

_This god didn't remember the great power that once resided in her. Instead of relying on brute force as the old one had, she had to rely on her intelligence, and, yes, her cunning. And by doing so, she had grown almost as cunning as the old fox. The two now stood on equal footing, weak in power but strong in wits._

It was as she wished. It would be an easy battle, against an opponent who could barely remember the skills that once terrified all of demon-kind.

_It was as the fox feared. It would be battle determined by who can outwit who, who would make the first mistake in an elaborate game of feints and attacks. It would be a short battle to the death._

Something shifted in her mind, and the past came back to her. Things she thought she had long forgotten, but anything is possible, she mused, at least if you were inside your own mind. A smile curled up on her lips, as she remembered her triumphs, greatest of all, stealing the powers of the brush gods. It was then that she learned that a god wasn't anything special. She could be a god, and have power that rivaled peak of lifetime had been dwarfed by the present, when there was almost no god to fear. She smiled.

_When they were powerful, the battle would be fought for longer than a mortal lifetime. There was never a worry about tiring out, for their energy was infinite. Mistakes were easily countered, as they could cover their moment of weakness with even more power. It was radiance, it was destruction, and the bleak plain that the two had fought on had warped to oblivion as their powers destroyed the reality it was based on._

She was Ninetails, nine souls combined into one being. A demon fueled by eight centuries of wrath and hatred from human incapability. One demon who ate misery and savoured its strength, using it to grow far beyond her pitiful kindred. One god was nothing compared to what she had conquered.

_She was Ninetails and she was many. One soul for each human who died by the hands of a monster. They had forgotten who they were, so long had they been stuck in the belly of the beast, losing all trace of the self they once had been. Left with only a fox as a friend ,they delved deep into her mind and let themselves become lost in her mind. And though it was memories of their killer, they took them as their own, remembering what the fox ignored. They whispered of her pain, of her weakness, of her humanity twisted deep within her. They knew the fox would lose, and they would die with her. The god was one being, one determination, one who could set it all back to good. They were distant spirits and a monster, barely aware of each other's thoughts and existence. There was only one thought the humans had in common. Thanks for the god who freed them from their fate and admiration for a soul so strong._


End file.
